Collared Stoat
Collared stoats live in the polar regions, venturing elsewhere only when cold weather extends across the land. They travel in groups, using the black tips on their tails to signal each other and coordinate their hunts. Their magic is simply an adjustment to relieve the fierce cold of their native environs; allowing them to keep their nimble speed and the sensitivity in their paws despite the weather. It manifests as frost patterns with each individual collared stoat sporting a different design, though all have a high concentration around their paws which make them appear almost solidly blue. Since they rely on this innate talent for survival, they are fierce enemies of the albino nandi bear, and small packs will band together in larger groups to hunt and take down the dangerous predator if one ventures too near their nesting grounds. They will incur many losses during such a feat, but do not hesitate lest their living eggs be deprived of magic and freeze. Egg A line of blue frost creeps over this tailed egg. Hatchling When hatched, a collared stoat immediately begins exploring. An adult pair rarely has more than one egg in a season, because it takes much of their time to keep young ones out of deadly mischief. A hatchling will think nothing of plunging fearlessly into the cave of a grumpy ice dragon, or poking a nose into mysterious tunnels, or batting playfully at the hanging nest of a swarm of frost wasps. When a magi is raising the hatchling, they typically beg for the use of to gain some time to rest themselves, or to stay awake the twenty hours that these energetic creatures consider a normal day. Although they are very social when grown, the collared stoats go through an independent phase shortly after hatching, and keeping up with them requires constant vigilance, for they do not bother to ask for companionship before going out to explore the world. Adult When fully grown, their magic reaches its full potential. Although individually it is not a great power, a pack can combine their magic and use it to help them hunt. They will drive large creatures out over a frozen pond, and with a burst of power, briefly melt the ice. It is not always successful, but when it works their prey will sink partially through before the ice freezes again, and the trapped animal will feed the whole pack for quite some time. A magi who has bonded with a collared stoat is welcomed into the larger social structure, almost as if they have been adopted by their stoat and the pack views the human as a strange in-law. They will even stage deliberate ploys to help the magi learn their semaphore-like communication codes. However, if the human wishes to hunt with them, they refuse to move until the magi dresses completely in white, with one black glove or other substitute for their black-tipped tail. Breeding Additional Information *No. 547 *Obtained from the Donation Shop for 3 (December 2014). *Released: December 1st, 2014. *Artist: Tekla *Description: ApprenticeCrone somniants Category:2014 Creatures Category:Donation Category:Artist: Tekla Category:Stoats